Apply green building principles to your office buildings. They affect natural resources, land use, energy use, worker and public health, and community well being. With sustainable design - or green building - tools, the federal government can protect human health and worker productivity, reduce costs and risks, and build with greater responsibility towards future generations. Green Building principles lead to building in greater harmony with the environment, consciously sustaining and renewing natural resources.

Go Green with GSA. The U.S. Government Services Administration has many environmental initiatives to help federal agencies Go Green. These initiatives range from green products to constructing and leasing green buildings.

Buy recycled content, remanufactured, and recyclable office products, and recycle them when appropriate (including e-cycling electronics). At a minimum, buy recycled paper and recycle it again. See the small business guide to pollution prevention for more information: http://www.epa.gov/ecycling/index.htm.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

I don't know about you, but I've been disappointed with my compact flourescent lightbulbs (CFLs). Two years ago, I changed all the lightbulbs in my house and replaced them with CFLs. This was no cheap feat, it cost a few hundred dollars. But the touted benefits included the fact that CFLs use 50-80% less energy, which reduces carbon emissions, and the bulbs last up to 10 times longer than incandescents.

My first disappointment came a month later when there was no difference in my electric bill. In fact, the next month's electric bill increased, but it was summer and the air conditioning was in full swing. Besides, lighting is such a miniscule part of the electric bill, I may not have noticed the difference anyway. But I figured I was still helping the environment and the lights would pay for themselves over the lifetime of the bulbs.

Think again. Over the past 2 years, I've had to replace 7 CFL bulbs: 3 exterior bug lights, 2 globe vanity lights, and two 3-way lights. I know this because, like a good recycler, I've kept all of them in a bag for hazardous household waste disposal.

And last night, one of the bulbs exploded! Yes, exploded! It was a 3-way bulb, two light settings had already burned out, but it still offered one level of lighting and was still in use. That is, until it exploded for no apparent reason. Fortunately, no one was sitting near the lamp at the time.

After this incident, the room was allowed to air due to the risk of mercury exposure. The remnants of the bulb have now been placed in my bag for hazardous household waste disposal, and this brings the grand total to 8 CFL bulbs replaced in a span of two years.

So where are the energy savings and longer lifespans that have been claimed? I have to say I've been very disappointed. What's the deal with CFLs?

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Every company on this list makes a substantial investment in creating a perception that they are friendlier to the environment than their peers are or that they are on the side of good or that saving the global ecosystem should be part of a corporation’s broad public responsibility–its good citizenship. These firms often spend millions of dollars on advertising to support the way that their companies are perceived in the green world. But, hidden behind these efforts, each corporation on this list is a Herculean polluter. And, that fact points to a hypocrisy which is almost completely hidden from the public.

So who made the list?

General Electric

American Electric Power

ExxonMobil

DuPont

Archer Daniels Midland

Waste Management, Inc.

International Paper

BP

Dow Chemical

General Motors

To read a full description of why each company is on this list or to read the methodology, check out the 24/7 Wall St. article.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Philadelphia Area Investors Launch Innovative Incubator For Social Entrepreneurs

Philadelphia, PA - March 23, 2009 - GoodCompany Ventures, a team of social finance investors and start-up experts, today announced the launch of a business incubator targeting entrepreneurs with innovative solutions to unmet social needs. The program will provide facilities, mentoring and access to a network of capital sources to qualified entrepreneurs whose business models offer investors an attractive mix of financial return and social impact. The program will culminate in a venture fair where companies will pitch their ideas to investors.

“The program is the first of its kind in the social sector, repurposing a proven venture strategy in this emerging sector," stated Jacob Gray, Murex Investments Partner. “Unlike conventional venture incubators, GoodCompany Ventures doesn’t extract an equity commitment from entrepreneurs, but expects a commitment of time and creativity toward building a community of social entrepreneurship.”

“This incubator program will be a pioneer,” said Garret Melby, founder of Iolite Social Capital. “Just as Xerox Parc, Idea Lab and other technology incubators helped create the foundation of the information economy, GoodCompany Ventures will support entrepreneurs seeking to build a socially and environmentally sustainable economy.”

Applicants will be recruited nationally via venture capital, social finance, and academic networks. A pool of eight to twelve candidates will be selected to participate in the 2009 incubator program that begins in June.

The program has been developed jointly by Resources for Human Development, Inc. (RHD), an innovator in social finance with a successful track record in social enterprises, and Murex Investments, a “double bottom line” equity fund backed by leading financial institutions.

Ventures catalyzes start-ups with innovative solutions to big, unmet social needs. GoodCompany entrepreneurs are offered a great place to work in Philadephia, a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and access to a network of capital sources and expert advisors. We champion models that offer investors financial return and social impact. More information is available at http://www.goodcompanyventures.org/ or via email at info@GoodCompanyVentures.org.